How to take yoga off the mat and into your everyday life

Yoga is so much more than just a series of postures or learning how to breathe. If you want the benefit of your practice to seep into the rest of your life then there are lots of ways that you can take your yoga off the mat.

Start the day as you mean to go on

Taking yoga off the mat and into your everyday life doesn’t have to start in the yoga studio – you can begin as soon as you open your eyes in the morning. Sit with prayer hands in front of your heart, shut your eyes and focus on recognition and gratitude in that particular moment. You might give thanks for a good night’s sleep or focus on being grateful for the start of a new day. Don’t think too hard about what you’re grateful for, just focus on whatever pops into your mind first. If you get the opportunity, return to that place of gratitude throughout the day and remind yourself of what you have to be grateful for in each moment.

Learn to use your breath off the mat too

During a yoga class, breathing is essential to getting the most from the experience. In ‘real life’ we often forget just how important it is to breathe – for example, when we’re under pressure our breathing can be reduced to short, stifled, shallow breaths which spike anxiety and can even lead to health conditions over time. As often as you can during the day, stop and observe your breathing. Notice if you’re not taking deep breaths and give yourself time to do it properly. Even if you only stop and breathe deeply for a minute a day it will still make a huge difference.

Witness your own life

Sometimes life can feel so hectic or stressful that the days just tumble into one another in a snowball of emotion and pressure. Instead of being at the mercy of life’s ups and downs, use your yoga to take a step back and witness events and feelings with a little distance. This will give you some space to think before you react and enable you to work out how you want to respond in certain situations, as opposed to simply doing something you might later regret.

Be aware of your intentions

Why are you doing, thinking, saying or asking for something? Awareness of intention can reveal what your motivation really is in a certain situation or interaction. This awareness can be crucial to understanding whether you’re motivated by fear or love and can help to ensure that your actions and intentions come from a good place.

Spontaneous acts of kindness

Doing things for others helps to spread the kind of positivity and kindness that is at the heart of yoga. Look for opportunities to do something for someone else every day, no matter how small. You’ll not only make someone else feel good by doing it but increase your own sense of wellbeing too.

These are just a few of the ways that you can start to take your yoga off the mat and into everyday life – beginning today.